Chapter 407: Chapter 400: I’m Just a Face-Lover 42
Duke Dingguo was in so much pain that his whole body broke out in cold sweat.
He wanted to scream, but he didn’t know how to make a sound.
He glared fiercely at Xu Xingsheng.
Xu Xingsheng smiled slightly.
His smile was filled with mockery and an indescribable hatred, a sinister look deeply hidden in his eyes, starkly different from the warm smile he showed in front of Xu Bao’er.
"Your beloved wife had a great plan, thinking about getting me killed, then all of Duke Dingguo Mansion would belong to her and her son. But they didn’t expect to die first, truly what goes around comes around."
Duke Dingguo felt even more hatred.
The more he hated, the happier Xu Xingsheng became.
"Now, you only have me as a son. Whether I recognize you or not, all of Duke Dingguo Mansion will eventually be mine. I’m just saying I lost my memory for now, anyway, I don’t recognize you, and I’ll just wait for you to die alone. Then, I’ll say I’ve regained my memory and return to inherit everything from Duke Dingguo Mansion. Sounds good, doesn’t it?"
Duke Dingguo was greatly shocked.
He knew. Once Xu Xingsheng had said it, he would definitely do it.
He felt an indescribable panic and fear.
He thought about his future when he would be old and immobile, lying alone in bed, how desolate it would be without any children by his side.
At this moment, Duke Dingguo truly regretted.
He regretted not having treated Xu Xingsheng better earlier. If he had known his youngest son wouldn’t live long, he surely wouldn’t have allowed that woman to harm Xu Xingsheng.
"You, you can’t do this. I am your father."
Duke Dingguo said weakly.
But Xu Xingsheng didn’t consider any father-son affection at all: "So what if you are my father? You never thought of me as your son when you were harming me."
Seeing Duke Dingguo lying in the corner like a dog, a tear fell from Xu Xingsheng’s eyes.
He wiped his eyes and turned to leave.
As soon as Xu Xingsheng entered the house, Xu Bao’er hurriedly asked him, "Have you sent him off?"
Xu Xingsheng smiled at Xu Bao’er, took her hand, and made her sit down: "Yes, I have."
Anning, seeing that Xu Pengju seemed to have something to say to Xu Xingsheng, got up and excused herself.
When Anning left the Xu Family, she saw from afar the carriage of Duke Dingguo Mansion just driving away.
She squinted slightly, not knowing what she was thinking, and suddenly began to laugh.
In the following period, Anning was particularly busy.
She managed the raw stones brought by Mr. Xiao and found some good craftsmen to make jewelry.
Moreover, the fields in the Manor had been fertilized, and Anning watched the tenant farmers cultivate the seedlings.
She was busy for a long time and did not pay attention to Duke Dingguo Mansion anymore.
When Anning was done with the fields, Xiao Yuan also returned.
He also brought back the news that Xiao Yuan topped the college examination again.
This time Xiao Yuan truly brought back the title of Little Trivium, bringing great joy to Mr. Xiao and Mrs. Xiao.
Another month passed, and only then did Anning hear from Wang Chunhua that Duke Dingguo was fading, and some distant relatives had gathered in Duke Dingguo Mansion waiting for him to pick someone to inherit his estate.
Unfortunately, these distant relatives had beautiful thoughts, but all their scheming was in vain.
In his final moments, Xu Xingsheng returned.
Xu Xingsheng pretended to have undergone tribulations outside and only then regained his memory, weeping uncontrollably by Duke Dingguo’s bedside.
Duke Dingguo knew that Xu Xingsheng was doing this on purpose.
He was so angry that he spit out several mouthfuls of blood.
But no matter how angry he was, he could only begrudgingly accept it.
He still hated Xu Xingsheng, but Xu Xingsheng was his own son. As long as Xu Xingsheng was alive, he wouldn’t let those distant relatives take hold of his family fortune.
In the end, Duke Dingguo was literally angered to death by Xu Xingsheng.
Xu Xingsheng could be considered to have avenged his mother.
After Duke Dingguo’s funeral, Xu Xingsheng petitioned the court to observe mourning in Qingyuan.
Fortunately, there were no conflicts at the border at that time, so his request to mourn was quickly approved.
However, though Xu Xingsheng was supposed to be in mourning, he didn’t show any signs of grief.
He didn’t return to the Duke Dingguo Mansion, and instead, he stayed in the Xu Family home.
Generations of wealth accumulated in the Duke Dingguo Mansion were also moved to the Xu Family by him.
Xu Pengju was initially scared by this.
He thought since Xu Xingsheng had returned to Duke Dingguo Mansion, Xu Xingsheng probably didn’t want to be a live-in son-in-law, so he was hoping to discuss with Xu Xingsheng to potentially have Xu Bao’er’s future children bear the Xu surname.
But unexpectedly, Xu Xingsheng was determined to be a live-in son-in-law, and he even moved all the wealth over.
Xu Pengju also advised Xu Xingsheng not to act impulsively and to restore his original surname. Moreover, Xu Xingsheng should also take Xu Bao’er back to live in Duke Dingguo Mansion.
But Xu Xingsheng disagreed.
He did restore his original name but still refused to return to Duke Dingguo Mansion. He said that he disliked the mansion because it was too filthy.
In the blink of an eye, more than a year had passed.
It was time for Xiao Yuan to attend the rural examination.
Originally, Anning wanted Xiao Yuan to delay, to wait another three years for the rural examination. With those three more years, Xiao Yuan could read more books and she could also guide him to improve his essay writing skills.
But Xiao Yuan was unwilling.
He just wanted to take the exams as soon as possible because he was really reluctant to continue studying.
With Xiao Yuan’s stubbornness, Anning had no way to persuade him, so she followed him to Prefecture City to take part in the rural examination.
Also accompanying them were Mr. Xiao and Mrs. Xiao.
Over the past year, Xiao Family’s business had already expanded into Prefecture City.
Mr. Xiao had specially bought a house in Prefecture City. The family moved to Prefecture City mainly to support Xiao Yuan during his exams.
Once they had moved, Xiao Yuan began studying intensively indoors, while Anning began to wander around the streets and alleys of Prefecture City.
After studying for a few days, Xiao Yuan also became restless and wanted to go out for a stroll.
Anning then took him for a half morning walk in the streets. When they got hungry, they went straight to a newly opened restaurant by the Xiao Family to eat.
No sooner had they entered the restaurant than Anning saw Yue Zhong also coming in.
She then remembered that Yue Zhong was also here to participate in the rural examination.
Seeing Yue Zhong reminded Anning of something.
In her previous life, Yue Zhong also came to participate in the rural examination at this time.
The reason he was able to become a scholar then was because of He Anning’s proper arrangements.
In that life, after He Anning married into the Yue Family, she used her dowry to buy several shops and started doing business herself.
As the business grew, naturally, it also needed some insider information.
He Anning was a smart girl, and she set up several shops in Prefecture City specifically to gather intelligence.
She received an important piece of information at that time, which she managed well, allowing Yue Zhong to easily become a scholar.
Thinking of this, Anning looked at Xiao Yuan and smiled faintly.
Xiao Yuan grasped Anning’s hand: "What are you laughing about?"
Anning lowered her head: "Nothing much, just happy seeing husband looking handsome."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan laughed: "If you enjoy it, keep looking for a while. I don’t charge."
The two of them talked and laughed, their eyes filled with deep affection, yet it deeply pained Yue Zhong’s heart.